THE  BIRTH  OF  ROLAND 


THE 

IRTH 
OLAN 

MAURICE 
HEWLETT 


RMPH  PLETCHER  SEYMOUR  Gx 
THE  ALDERBRINK  PRESS 
CHICAGO 


COPYRIGHT  1911 

BY 

RALPH  FLETCHER  SEYMOUR  COMPANY 


THE  BIRTH  OF  ROLAND 


kj- 


HEBlRIH  OF^piAND 

ILLE  was  the  name 
of  that  sister  of  King 
Charlemagne  who 
secretly  loved  and 
secretly  wedded  a 
poor  Knight  of  Brit- 
tany called  Milo  of 
Ayglent.  These 
two,  fast  married, 
who  by  day  could 
be  nothing  to  each 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


i 


The  Birth  other,  nor  so  much  as  look  each  in  the 
of  Roland  eyes  of  each  for  assurance  of  their 
plighting,  used  to  meet  by  night  in  the 
pine  woods,  and  then  the  whole  world 
and  the  multitude  of  the  starry  host 
held  no  other  souls  in  bodies;  but  all 
the  immensity  was  theirs  alone,  and 
for  them  blew  the  sweet  night  airs, 
and  to  them  only  sang  the  trees  their 
sighed  songs.  For  a  season  this  en- 
dured, until  Gille  in  the  course  of  na- 
ture must  reveal  whither  Nature  had 
led  her.  Her  state  made  plain,  the 
great  King  sent  for  her  one  day,  and 
demanded  of  her  the  name  of  her  lover. 
She  refused  it,  for  fear  of  what  he 
would  do  to  Sir  Milo,her  husband;  and 
when  he  threatened  her  with  summary 
death,  unblenched  she  asked  him  this: 
"Will  you  kill  two  souls  at  once?"  He 
knew  that  he  dared  not  do  that:  more- 
over he  loved  her  soul  better  than  his 


10 


own,  and  any  little  thing  of  hers,  even 
so  small  a  thing  as  her  child  by  an 
unknown  man,  was  more  precious  to 
him  than  the  iron  crown  of  his  maj- 
esty. He  considered  therefore  for  a 
day  and  a  night  what  he  should  do 
with  her. 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


ii 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


THEN  he  had  her  stripped  to  the 
smock  and  set  upon  an  ox-cart 
alone  before  all  his  peers. 
There  as  she  sat  he  loved  her  more 
than  ever  in  his  life;  for  the  tide  of 
her  hair,  being  loosed,  flowed  over  her 
shoulders  like  water  over  a  weir;  or  it 
was  as  if  the  yellow  broom  should  be 
aflower  upon  a  field  of  snow.  And 
Gille,  being  of  the  same  great  lineage 
as  he  was,  in  spirit  as  high,  lost  noth- 


12 


ing  of  her  burning  colour,  abated  no  Tfhp^irtJ 
fire  in  her  proud  eyes,  but  sat  smiling 
in  the  cart,  as  if  it  had  been  a  litter  to 
carry  her  to  a  King's  coronation;  and 
her  hands  were  folded  in  her  lap;  and 
all  her  hair  was  about  her  like  a  royal 
cope.  No  kingly  sign  upon  her  was 
lost  to  the  King,  in  whom,  neverthe- 
less, the  love  he  had  for  her  was 
chilled  suddenly  to  cold  rage.  So, 
hardening  his  heart,  he  called  out  in 
the  midst  of  the  people,  "Now,  who 
will  drive  me  this  cartload  into  the 
waste?"  Then  Sir  Milo  of  Ayglent 
lifted  up  his  sword  by  the  point,  cry- 
ing out,  "I  will,  O  King/' 

King  Charlemagne,  frowning 
deeply,  says,  "By  what  right,  Milo?" 
Milo  answered,  "By  the  best  right  in 
the  world.  For  a  priest  has  blessed 
the  marriage,  and  the  child  that  shall 
be  born  shall  be  lawfully  thy  nephew." 

13 


The  Birth        The  King  looked  terribly  upon  him. 

of  Roland  Black  as  thunder  were  his  brows;  but 
Milo  did  not  blench  for  that.  So 
presently  Charlemagne  said,  "Take 
that  which  is  yours,  and  go,  and  see 
my  face  no  more/'  Then  Milo  got 
into  the  cart  and  sat  upon  the  bench 
beside  his  lady  wife;  and  he  gathered 
up  the  ropes  and  struck  the  oxen  with 
the  goad,  and  drove  away  towards  the 
sunset.  And  King  Charlemagne  sat 
alone  in  his  royal  house  for  seven  days; 
for  of  all  his  kindred,  and  passing  the 
love  of  any  man  for  his  kindred,  he 
loved  Gille  the  fair.  After  that  he 
went  warring  in  Saxony,  and  forgot 
the  shame  upon  his  house,  as  a  man 
should,  in  work  rather  too  hard  for  any 
man  to  do.  There  gat  he  the  ac- 
quaintance, the  love  and  service  of 
Ogier,  the  Dane,  as  may  elsewhere  be 
related;  but  neither   there  nor  else- 

14 


where,  in  field,  on  throne,  in   bed,  at  The  Birth 
board,  did  he   forget  his   fair   sister  of  Roland 
Gille  whom  beyond  all  people  in  the 
world  he  loved. 

Now  Sir  Milo  drove  his  wife  in  the 
cart  into  his  own  country  in  Brittany, 
but  not  to  any  town,  burgh  or  castle 
which  might  have  called  him  lord. 
Lord  though  he  might  be  called  of 
them,  all  the  land  knew  the  great  King 
for  overlord;  nor  might  any  harbour- 
age be  found  in  all  broad  France  for  a 
man  proscribed.  Rather,  he  turned 
his  oxen  s  heads  towards  the  wilder- 
ness and  took  her  deeply  within  the 
enchanted  forest  of  Broceliande,  and 
hid  her  in  a  cave  hard  by  an  open 
lawn.  Little  recked  she  for  that.  She 
made  no  complaint,  nor  asked  of  him 
miracles,  neither  asserted  any  right  of 
King's  daughter  or  woman  with  child. 
No,  but  she  turned  him,  rather,  a  smil- 

15 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


ing  face,  and  put  into  his  failing  heart 
great  store  out  of  her  own.  Indeed, 
she  comforted  him,  who  ought  to  have 
claimed  all  comfort  and  touched  his 
cheek  with  her  hand  when  he  seemed 
weary  and  inclined  to  be  mopish.  So, 
when  he  looked  down  to  see  what  it 
was  that  she  needed,  he  found  her 
brave  eyes  upon  him  full  of  trust,  and 
saw  her  mouth  ready  to  be  kissed. 

16 


What  man  could  be  sorrowful  having  The  Birth 
such  delight  close  at  hand,  or  feel  him-  of  Roland 
self  poor  with  such  treasure  in  his  cart? 
Thus  do  brave  women  hourly  for  the 
men  they  love,  but  thus  do  not  men. 
Now,  there  in  Broceliande,  under  the 
green  leaves,  a  child  was  born,  and 
christened  by  his  own  father,  and  had 
the  name  of  Baldwin.  That  was  the 
first  born  of  Gille,  King  Charlemagne's 
sister;  and  after  him,  for  two  full  years 
she  had  no  child. 


17 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


OW,when  the 
child  Baldwin 
was  two  years 
old,  and  it  was 
M  i  ds  u  m  men 
Night  Gille  the 
fair  was  alone 
with  him  in  Bro- 
celiande.  It  was 
dark  in  the  forest 


II 


and  quite  still;  and  in  the  cave  it  was 
dark  where  Gille  sat  alone  by  the 
couch  of  her  son.  Sir  Milo  was  gone 
away  these  two  days  or  more,  as  had 
become  his  custom  every  quarter  of 
the  year,  seeking  to  learn  the  where- 
abouts of  King  Charlemagne,  his  wife's 
brother  and  lord,  whether  he  was  in 
Saxony  or  elsewhere  in  Paganry,  or 
come  back  to  France.  For  two  or 
three  days  he  had  been  gone,  and  could 
not  be  back  for  as  many  more.  For 
him  adventure  in  the  world,  for  her 
waiting  at  home.  This  also  is  the 
pleasure  of  men  and  the  lot  of  women. 
Now  the  large  stars  shone  out  above 
the  trees  like  the  lamps  of  a  town  afar 
off;  in  the  leaves  whispered  the  night 
wind;  she  heard  the  owls  cry, the  foxes 
bark.  Then  presently  she  lifted  her 
head  and  looked  sharply  aside,  as  he 
does  who  listens  intently.    She  heard 

20 


a  horse  come  at  a  walking  pace  through  Th«  Birth 
the  forest  breaking  dead  wood  and  ofRoland 
brushing  through  undergrowth  on  his 
way.  She  thought  "Here  is  my  lord 
come  back  before  the  time;"  and  her 
heart  beat  for  the  pleasure  of  him.  So 
then  she  stooped  down,  to  be  sure  that 
her  son  slept  and  rising  quickly  fetched 
meat  bread  and  a  skin  of  wine.  These 
set  in  order,  she  went  out  into  the 
night  to  meet  him,  and  presently  made 
out  before  her  a  horse  like  a  great 
ghost,  and  upon  the  saddle  of  him  the 
rider,  a  hood  over  his  head,  in  his  hand 
a  tall  spear.  Much  she  marvelled  at 
the  sight,  saying  to  herself,  "Thus  went 
not  out  my  Lord  Milo,  but  returns 
with  a  spear  against  his  thigh.  And 
his  horse,  which  was  a  bay,  is  now  a 
white  horse.  It  must  be  that  he  has 
fought  with  some  strange  knight  and 
prevailed  against  him,  to  take  away  his 

21 


horse  and  spear/'  So  then,  nothing 
doubt  in  g,  she  runs  on  and  takes  the 
horse  by  the  bridle,  and  lifts  up  her 
face  to  be  kissed,  saying,  low  and  glad, 
"Welcome  to  my  lord/'  He,  without 
word  said,  stoops  toward  her  and 
touches  her  hair.  The  horse  is  teth- 
ered; she  takes  the  rider's  hand  and 
leads  him  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 
There  she  disarms  him,  and  marks,  by 
the  feeling  of  it,  how  fine  the  harness 
that  he  wears,  and  marvels  greatly  that 
he  will  not  suffer  his  hood  to  be  taken 
from  him,  nor  say  a  word  to  her.  So 
falls  she  to  also  to  be  silent,  and  to 
tremble  also;  for  she  knows  without 
speech  that  he  has  come  back  with  love 
for  her  in  his  heart,  and  tells  herself 
that  this  night  she  will  get  a  child. 
Then  she  leads  him  into  the  dark  cave 
and  plies  him  with  meat  and  drink, 
and  kneels  beside  him  ministering  in 

22 


the  dark.  Little  says  she,  and  he  noth-  The  Birth 
ing,  but  he  embraces  her  with  his  arm.  of  Roland 
and  gives  her  kisses  now  and  then, 
After  he  has  done  with  food  and  drink 
he  takes  her  in  both  his  arms,  and  she 
needs  nothing  that  he  cannot  give  her. 
So  they  go  to  bed,  and  towards  morn- 
ing she  sleeps;  and  waking  finds  his 
place  empty,  her  husband  gone  again 
on  his  horse.  But  she  is  comforted 
with  the  thought  that  love  for  her 
called  him  home  out  of  the  middle  of 
his  affairs,  and  is  well  content  to  wait 
his  pleasure  when  he  shall  come  again. 
He  comes  not  home  again  for  three 
days,  but  then  brings  news  that  the 
King,  her  brother,  is  back  in  France 
with  much  spoil  from  Saxony  and  a 
kingdom  to  add  to  his  other  kingdoms. 
Nothing  has  he  to  say  of  his  silent 
visit;  nor  spear  nor  fine  harness  brings 
he  back  again.  Gille  thinks  to  herself, 

23 


The  Birth  "He  has  again  fought  and  has  suffered 
overthrow.  Best  were  that  I  say  noth- 
ing/' But  she  finds  anon  that  she  is 
with  child  and  tells  him  of  it.  Little 
or  nothing  says  Sir  Milo,  whose  mis- 
fortunes have  made  him  glum. 

In  the  springtime  of  the  year  the 
child  was  born,  and  named  by  herself 
Roland. 


24 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


HIS  second  child 
of  hers  Gille 
suckled  for  two 
years;  for  she  said, 
"It  never  fortuned 
a  woman  to  bring 
into  the  world  so 
fair  a  child,  not 
since  the  mild 
Mother  of  Chris- 
tianity bare  her 


III 


The  Birth  Son,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  men.  And 
oland  it  was  written  of  him,  'Blessed  the 
womb  that  bare  thee,  and  the  paps 
that  gave  thee  suck/  So  now  might  it 
be  said  of  me  in  after  time,  that  I 
nourished  a  frere  in  Christendom,  and 
so  it  shall  be  that  he  shall  eat  and  drink 
of  me  so  long  as  my  force  endures/' 
And  it  was  so;  and  the  child  grew  up 
to  be  as  strong  as  Baldwin,  his  elder 
brother,  and  much  more  beautiful. 
Baldwin  favoured  his  father,  being  dark 
and  heavy-faced  as  he  was,  slow  in  his 
motions  of  mind  and  body,  and  delib- 
erate; but  Roland  was  wholly  after  the 
mould  of  his  mother,  as  fair  and  fierce 
as  she,  with  hair  of  her  golden  colour, 
and  complexion  of  fire.  His  eyes  were 
colour  of  blue  flowers,  his  cheeks  were 
of  flame,  and  his  mouth  very  red;  he 
had  small  hands  and  feet,  a  deep  chest 
and  narrow  hips;  his  little  ears  were 

26 


set  far  back  on  his  head.  He  was  flat  The  Birth 
in  the  arms  and  buttocks;  the  calves  of  Roland 
of  his  legs  were  as  hard  as  a  man's 
saddle.  The  two  boys  loved  each  other 
well;  but  as  time  went  on  it  was  so 
that  the  will  of  the  younger  outvailed 
the  will  of  the  elder,  and  was  the  law 
between  them. 

Now  when  Roland  was  six  years 
old  there  came  into  the  forest  of  Bro- 
celiande  the  wise  Duke  Naimes  of 
Bavier  with  thirty  esquires,  seeking  the 
whereabouts  of  the  King  s  sister.  For 
King  Charles  himself  had  sent  him, 
saying,  "Ride  you  east  and  ride  you 
west,  but  by  all  means  find  her,  and 
prevail  upon  her  to  come  with  you  to 
Laon,  and  to  me,  she  and  all  that  she 
has."  So  Duke  Naimes  rode  east  and 
west,  and  quartered  all  the  woodland 
places,  and  rode  deeply  among  the 
trees;  and  this  he  did  for  two  and 

27 


TheBirth  twenty  days.  Anon,  as  he  and  his 
company  dipped  down  a  valley  of  rocks 
among  stems  of  the  silver  birch,  and 
forded  a  certain  river,  and  began  to 
climb  the  ridge  that  was  on  the  other 
side,  the  Duke  Naimes  reined  in  his 
courser,  and  "Ha,  Christ,"  he  said, 
"whom  have  we  here  above  us?"  Then 
they  all  looked  up,  and  saw,  and  he 
also  saw,  two  naked  boys  stand  upon 
the  ridge  with  clubs  in  their  right 
hands,  one  black-haired  and  swarthy, 
the  other  shining  like  a  gold-haired 
seraph,  his  body  like  the  rose  of  dawn. 
They  stood  clear  against  the  morning 
sky,  as  it  might  be  two  angels  guard- 
ing the  gates  of  Paradise.  Then  said 
Naimes,  the  wise  duke,  "Prick  on,  sirs. 
Here  have  we  whom  we  seek."  So  he 
gathered  up  his  reins  and  mounted  the 
ridge,  his  company  behind  him;  and 
they  came  up  against  the  two  boys, 

28 


Roland  namely,  and  his  elder  brother.  The  Birth 

Now  must  Duke  Naimes  do  one  of  of  R°land 
two  things.  Either  must  he  ride  them 
down,  or  again  draw  rein.  It  was  the 
latter  he  did,  and  his  esquires  also,  and 
sat  still  and  looked  at  Roland,  saying 
after  a  while,  "Fair  son,  let  me  pass 
on  my  road/' 

But  Roland  said,  "No  passage/'  and 
the  Duke  again,  "How  is  that  then?" 
Then  said  Roland,  "Good  sir,  because 
we  stand  in  the  way;"  whereupon  he, 
"By  my  head,  the  best  reason  in  the 
world.  Yet  if  I  had  thy  leave  to  pass, 
what  then?" 

Says  Roland,  "You  have  it  not;" 
and  Baldwin  nodded  his  head,  and  re- 
peated after  his  brother,  "That  is  the 
case:  you  have  it  not." 

Duke  Naimes  looked  from  one  lad 
to  the  other,  wondering  how  he  had 
best  deal  with  the  pair  of  them. 

29 


The  Birth  By  and  by  says  he,  "Look  you,  fair 
of  Roland  sons,  I  am  come  ambassador  from  the 
side  of  the  King  to  your  lady  mother. 
You  will  not  deny  me  the  privilege  of 
envoy.  If  I  am  sent  by  a  King  I  may 
surely  look  upon  a  King  s  sister.  Or 
do  you  tell  your  father,  Sir  Milo,  that 
Naimes  of  Bavier  is  on  his  borders, 
and  so  be  contented  with  what  he 
says,  as  I  will  be/'  Then  the  two  lads 
consulted  together,  and  afterwards 
Roland  spake  to  the  Duke. 

"Sir/'  he  said,  "the  truth  of  the  mat- 
ter is  that  our  father  is  not  here,  but 
is  away  on  his  affairs,  leaving  our 
mother  in  charge  of  us.  Consequently, 
as  you  perceive,  we  stand  upon  strict- 
ness." 

"I  do  perceive/'  said  Duke  Naimes. 
"Nevertheless  I  also  stand  upon  strict- 
ness, considering  myself  as  an  ambas- 
sador/'   So  said,  he  held  Roland  with 

30 


a  keen  eye  and  waited  to  see  what  he  The  Birth 
would  say  or  do.  Roland,  frowning,  ofR°land 
pondered  the  matter. 

Then  he  said,  "Sir,  if  it  be  so,  as  you 
report,  that  you  come  from  the  King, 
my  uncle,  I  think  that  I  will  take  you 
before  my  mother.  But  these  lords  of 
yours  must  await  you  here/' 

"It  shall  be  as  you  decree,  fair  son/' 
said  Duke  Naimes.  "Yet  these  are  my 
esquires,  and  claim  no  such  title  as  you 
give  them/'  Roland,  angry  at  the 
mistake  he  had  made,  grew  red. 
Nevertheless  he  put  his  hand  to  the 
bridle-rein,  saying  to  his  brother  Bald- 
win, "Lead  with  me/'  And  so  he  did; 
and  in  this  fashion  the  great  Duke 
Naimes  of  Bavier  was  led  before  the 
King  s  sister,  having  no  other  escort 
than  two  mother-naked  boys.  She, 
too,  though  she  was  barefoot  and  bare- 
headed, received  him  as  a  queen  upon 

31 


The  Birth    tne  degrees  of  her  throne  might  greet 

of  Roland    a  pompous  embassage. 

But  when  Gille  had  heard  the  pro- 
posal that  he  made  her  on  the  part  of 
the  King,  her  brother,  she  gave  him 
clear  refusal. 

"My  brother's  love  for  me,"  she  said, 
"was  testified  by  his  driving  me  out 
into  the  waste  and  leaving  me  for  nine 
years  there,  to  live  or  die  like  a  beast 
of  the  field.  I  will  not  go  to  him  at 
Laon  nor  at  Aix,  nor  shall  my  sons  go. 
But  if  he  pleases  to  come  here  to  me, 
where  he  has  put  me,  he  shall  not  be 
denied.  Enough  said.  Sit  you  down 
now,  my  Lord  Naimes,  and  my  sons 
shall  serve  you  as  becomes  them."  So 
he  did,  and  so  was  served  as  she  said 
by  those  two  boys  with  meat  and 
drink.  Baldwin  carved  the  meat  and 
set  it  it  before  him  on  a  wooden 
trencher;  Roland  brought  the  wine  in 

32 


a  bowl,  kneeling  as  he  offered  it.    TheBirth 
Naimes  had  no  eyes  but  for  him.    of  Roland 
"Madam/'  he  said,  "this  lad  should  be 
a  king  some  day." 

"How  then,  my  lord/'  quoth  she, 
"Hath  my  brother  no  sons?" 

"He  hath  none  after  the  fashion  of 
this  one,"  said  Naimes,  "nor  so  near 
the  fashioning  of  himself." 

"This  son  of  mine  favours  me,  I 
think,"  said  Gille,  and  Duke  Naimes 
answered  her,  "Yes,  madam,  indeed. 
And  your  favour  is  that  of  the  King, 
my  master,  who  but  for  you  is  with- 
out peer  in  the  world."  Then  he 
thought  for  a  space,  and  afterwards 
lifted  his  hand  up,  saying,  "I  am  very 
sure  of  this,  that  here  is  lodged  a  heart 
without  fear,"  and  he  touched  Roland 
on  the  bare  breast;  "And  here  a  tongue 
without  guile,"  and  he  laid  a  finger 
upon  his  mouth.    Then  he  looked 

33 


TheBirth  gladly  upon  the  chili  and  of  Gille 
of  Roland  asked  this  question>  -What  evil  beast 

or  what  felon  man  in  this  forest  doth 
he  fear?" 

Gille  said,  "He  fears  no  man,  nor  no 
beast/' 

Then  said  Naimes,  "I  serve,  as  I  sup- 
pose, the  bravest  man  alive;  but  I  tell 
you  that  I  may  yet  live  to  serve  a 
braver/' 

So  he  turned  to  Roland  and  said 
this,  "My  son,  I  am  old,  as  thou  seest, 
and  bear  about  me  such  marks  of  hon- 
our as  a  man  of  my  years  may  receive. 
Thou  bearest  few  enough  of  such 
things,  seeing  thy  years  be  few.  Yet 
look  thou  now  how  I,  Naimes  of  Ba- 
vier,  do  pay  honour  where  it  be  due." 
So  said,  he  knelt  down  before  the 
young  boy,  having  bared  his  old  head, 
and  he  stooped  and  kissed  his  knee. 
Roland,  wonderful,  looked  to  his 

34 


mother  for  direction,  who  through  eyes  The  Birth 
all  dim  with  tears  answered  him  fondly.  of  Rolai 
''Kiss  Naimes,  my  son/'  said  she.    So 
Roland  stooped  down  and  kissed  Duke 
Naimes  upon  the  lips. 

After  this  the  great  man  went  his 
way  back  to  his  company,  escorted  out 
as  he  had  come. 


35 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


HEN  he  was 
gone,  Duke 
Naimes  with  his 
company,  Roland 
drew  his  brother 
Baldwin  after 
him  into  the  deep 
forest  and  there 
talked  with  him. 
"Who  thinkest 
thou  is  this  King, 


IV 


The  Birth  our  mother's  brother?"  he  asked,  and 
of  Roland  Baldwin  said  "He  is  King  of  the 
world/' 

Then  Roland,  "So  he  is  King  of  this 
forest  and  of  us?"  And  Baldwin,  "He 
is  our  uncle  and  lord/' 

But  Roland  said  fiercely,  "Dost  thou 
call  that  man  lord  who  useth  our 
mother  in  such  a  fashion?  That  will 
I  never  do." 

Baldwin  heard  him,  and  shook  his 
head,  thinking  such  words  dangerous. 
Roland  hereafter  kept  his  own  coun- 
sel. 


38 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


% 


fharlemagne,  the  y 
King  of  Christen- 
dom, made  no 
sign  for  a  year  or 
more,  then  sent 
letters  to  an- 
nounce himself. 
He  was  come,  he 
said,  to  the  con- 
fines of  his  forest 
of  Broceliande, 


The  Birth  to  a  castle  which  he  had  there  called 
Sounes,  and  required  the  attendance 
of  Dame  Gille  with  her  two  sons. 
But  to  his  letters  the  lady  would 
make  no  answer,  although  Sir  Milo, 
her  husband,  was  of  another  opin- 
ion. "Lady/'  he  said,  "We  go 
against  loyalty  and  our  profit  at  once 
by  too  much  stiffness.  King  Charles  is 
your  lord  and  my  lord,  and  the  fortunes 
of  our  sons  are  in  his  hands."  But  she 
flamed  to  a  clear,  high  colour  and  re- 
fused to  go  to  Sounes;  so  Sir  Milo, 
loving  her  much,  said  no  more,  though 
he  went  heavily  and  full  of  care.  All 
this  debate  was  heard  by  Roland,  that 
burning  image  of  his  mother,  and  pon- 
dered deeply  in  his  heart. 

Night  and  day  he  thought  what  he 
should  do  until  he  was  fully  resolved; 
and  then  at  last  he  rose  up  before  the 
sun  and  sought  about  the  cave,  where 

40 


they  all  slept  upon  leaves  and  fern-  The  Birth 
brake,  for  wherewithal  to  make  him- 
self a  coat.  His  mind  was  made  up 
that  he  would  go  to  the  King  himself 
at  Sounes;  but  he  must  have  some 
covering  for  his  body,  for  he  remem- 
bered how  Duke  Naimes  had  looked 
at  them  when  he  saw  him  and  his 
brother  naked,  and  would  not  be  re- 
proached by  King  Charles.  But  all  he 
could  find  in  the  cave  was  an  old  cloak 
of  his  father's,  slashed  and  shredded 
by  age,  and  the  red  colour  of  it  stained, 
now  white  where  the  sun  had  bleached 
it,  now  black  where  the  weather  had 
fouled.  Again,  he  found  a  blue  gown 
of  his  mother's;  and  of  the  two  of 
them  he  contrived  to  fashion  him  a 
coat,  red  before  and  blue  behind.  He 
carved  out  the  coat  with  his  father's 
sword,  and  sewed  it  together  with 
strips  of  reed;  so  clothed,  he  went 

4i 


The  Birth  away  early  and  sought  King  Charles 
of  Roland  at  Sounes  Castle. 


42 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


OW  the  King 
sat  in  his  hall  at 
the  high  table, 
alone  in  his  state; 
and  esquires 
served  him  on 
their  knees;  and 
after  kneeling, 
one  rose  and  filled 
his  gold  cup,  and 


VI 


The  Birth  another  set  meat  upon  his  golden  plat- 
of  Roland  ter.  Below  him  in  their  order  sat  the 
peers.  Turpin,  the  archbishop,  was 
there,  Duke  Naimes  of  Bavier,  Duke 
Goeffrey  of  Anjou,  who  bore  the  Ori- 
flamme,  which  was  formerly  called 
Romanc.  There  were  also  Thierry, 
that  duke's  brother,  and  Ogier  the 
Dane,  and  Aymon  of  Dordogne,  and 
Ganelon,  son  of  Goeffrey,  son  of  Doon 
of  Mayence,  and  Samson,  Duke  of 
Burgundy,  and  Anseis,  the  old  man. 
Nine  peers  were  there  in  those  days; 
but  when  Oliver  and  Roland  and  Re- 
nau  of  Montauban  came  to  manhood, 
then  the  peers  were  twelve  and  their 
deeds  filled  the  world  with  light. 

Tne  doors  of  the  hall  stood  open, 
and  in  the  court  was  a  multitude  of 
the  poor,  to  whom  the  King  gave  meat 
and  drink.  Into  the  number  of  them 
came  Roland,  the  fair  child,  in  his  coat 

44 


that  was  red  before  and  blue  behind,  The  Birth 
and  saw  the  servants  come  out  with  of  R°land 
meat  bread  and  skins  full  of  wine,  to 
feed  the  poor  withal.  And  the  boy 
grew  fiery  red,  and  fire  burned  in  his 
blue  eyes  as  he  thought  to  himself, 
"To  this  horde  must  be  added  my 
mother,  a  King's  daughter,  if  she  were 
to  come  as  she  were  told.  Shame  were 
it,  and  I  had  rather  die  than  see  her 
here/'  So  said,  he  pushed  a  way  for 
himself  and  stepped  in  the  doorway 
and  walked  up  the  hall. 

It  was  as  if  the  sun  was  shining  in, 
when  Roland  came  into  the  hall.  He 
walked  up  the  centre  of  it  between 
the  tables  of  the  peers  and  great  vas- 
sals, and  stood  before  the  dais  where- 
on, in  the  chair  of  state,  the  King  sat 
at  dinner.  "Now  who  is  this  fair  child, 
whose  hair  is  like  a  seraph's  of  the 
light,  and  his  eyes  blue  as  the  sky,  and 

45 


of  Roland 


The  Birth  his  face  dawn-colour?"  So  asked  King 
Charles  of  himself,  and  so  asked  each 
peer  of  himself;  but  only  Duke  Naimes 
of  Bavier  had  the  answer,  and  he  kept 
it  close  in  his  old  heart. 

Now  stands  Roland  with  his  foot 
upon  the  dais,  and  looks  at  the  King, 
his  uncle.  Into  the  King's  beard  goes 
the  King  s  hand;  and  he  frowns  upon 
the  child,  "What  seekest  thou  here  of 
me,  child ?"  saith  he  then. 

"Meat  for  a  King's  daughter/'  then 
says  Roland,  and  mounts  dais,  and 
takes  up  the  King's  golden  platter. 
All  the  peers  stood  up  in  their  places, 
all  save  Ganelon  of  the  race  of  Doon, 
who  sat  where  he  was,  watching  and 
judging. 

Not  a  word  said  the  King,  but  looked 
sharply  at  Roland;  who  then  laid  hands 
upon  the  golden  cup  and  took  it. 

"Ha!"  cried  King  Charles,  "what 

46 


wilt  thou  have  with  my  cup?"  The  Birth 

"Wine/'  said  Roland,  "for  a  King's   of  Roland 
daughter/'    Up  then  gat  Ganelon,  of 
Doon's  unhappy  race,  and  cried  out  in 
full  hall  "Lord,  wilt  thou  have  this 
rascal  whipped?" 

"I  will  not,"  said  King  Charles,  who 
then  put  his  royal  hand  upon  Roland's 
shoulder,  saying,  "Take  thou  my  cup 
and  platter,  and  say  that  I  come  pres- 
ently to  thy  mother."  Roland  knelt 
before  the  King  and  kissed  his  knee, 
even  as  Duke  Naimes  had  kissed  his 
own.  And  then  he  went  back  through 
the  forest  and  put  the  cup  and  platter 
before  his  mother.  She,  with  full  heart 
and  full  eyes,  sought  the  eyes  of  Milo, 
her  husband;  but  he  would  not  look 
at  her,  nor  commend  Roland  for  what 
he  had  done.  For  he  himself  came  not 
of  royal  race,  but  had  been  taught  obe- 
dience unto  kings,  and  loyalty  and  hu- 
mility. 47 


The  Birth 
of  Roland 


PON  the  next 
day  came  King 
Charlemagne  in 
his  winged  hel- 
met of  gold;  with 
his  scarlet  cloak 
upon  his  shoul- 
ders,  whose 
morse  was  made 
of  gold  and  ame- 
thyst; by  his  thigh 


VII 


The  Birth  his  miraculous  sword  Joyeuse,  in  whose 
of  Roland  pommel  was  hid  the  head  of  the  spear 
made  holy  by  the  piercing  of  our  Sa- 
viour's side;  in  his  right  hand  the  lance 
of  his  towering  pride.  About  his  white 
horse  were  his  peers,  and  behind  him 
and  them  rode  sixty  lords,  men  of  re- 
nown; who  thus  rode  all  through  the 
forest  ways  to  the  lawn  where  was  the 
cave  in  which  Gille  the  fair  had  lived 
and  borne  her  sons.  And  there,  before 
this  intolerable  glory  of  gold  and  har- 
ness and  great  horses,  see  Gille  the 
noble  lady  in  a  frock  of  coarse  flax. 
And  all  her  mantle  was  her  gold  hair, 
and  for  hue  royal  her  own  bright  blood 
burning  in  her  cheeks.  There,  also,  be- 
hind her,  stood  Sir  Milo  of  Ayglent, 
her  husband;  and  on  either  side  of  her 
stood  a  son,  Baldwin  on  her  right  hand 
in  a  bliaut  made  in  the  fashion  of  Rol- 
and's, being  blue  before  and  red  be- 

5o 


hind,  and  Roland  in  that  which  he  had  The  Birth 
made  for  himself,  being  red  before  and  of  Roland 
blue  behind. 

Then  Gille  rose  and  went  forward 
to  meet  the  King,  her  brother,  taking 
a  son  by  either  hand.  "Sir,  I  pray  you 
deign  to  enter  my  house/'  she  said, 
"and  welcome  shall  you  be/'  King 
Charlemagne  dismounted  from  his 
horse  and  took  Gille  by  the  chin,  and 
kissed  her.  "I  will  come  in  gladly,  sis- 
ter/' he  said,  "for  you  have  him  with 
you  in  whom  I  am  most  glad/'  From 
her  to  Roland,  from  Roland  back  to 
her  he  turned  his  looks.  "Blood  of 
your  blood,  sister,  and  of  your  flesh  the 
very  flesh  is  this  lad.  Now,  for  his 
sake,  I  pardon  you  your  trespass,  and 
for  his  sake  I  make  Milo  an  earl/' 

"Sir/'  said  Gille,  "my  son  shall  ren- 
der you  the  good  that  you  do  to  me 
and  mine.    He  shall  be,  as  you  are,  a 

5i 


The  Birth  champion  of  Christ;  he  shall  carry  on 
of  Roland  his  shield  the  blazon  of  many  realms; 
into  King's  platters  he  shall  put  his 
hardy  hands,  and  out  of  King's  cups 
shall  he  drink  red  wine.  Even  as  you 
are  so  shall  he  be/' 

"Yes,"  said  King  Charlemagne,  "this 
boy  shall  be  my  peer,  and  a  falcon  of 
the  true  faith/'  And  he  looked  long 
at  his  sister,  and  marked  how  her  col- 
our rose  high  and  bright. 

As  for  Roland,  when  the  King  was 
not  looking  at  what  he  did,  he  took 
the  great  sword  Joyeuse  by  the  pom- 
mel, and  lightly  pulled  it  out  of  the 
scabbard.  Backwards  and  forwards  he 
swayed  it  in  his  hand,  then  tried  the 
temper  of  it  in  the  ground.  "See, 
mother,  how  it  bends;  like  a  whip  it 
bends,"  he  said;  and  she  bade  him  give 
it  back.  But  the  King  said,  "Ah,  my 
son  Roland,  a  sword,  Durandal,  shall 

52 


be  thine,  which  is,  next  to  this  Joyeuse,  The  Birth 
the  greatest  sword  in  the  world.  Wie-  of  Roland 
land  made  it  and  Malakin  gave  it  me 
as  ransom  for  his  brother  Abram :  that 
was  in  the  vale  of  Maurienne  long  ago. 
Three  times  shalt  thou  let  it  go,  once 
by  ruse,  and  once  to  serve  thy  friend, 
and  once  by  thine  own  fault;  but  in  the 
end  it  will  be  thine  again;  and  in  death- 
time  no  many  living  shall  take  it  from 
thy  hand.  This  I  know  from  soothsay- 
ers, and  visions  revealed— but  these 
things  are  not  yet.  In  the  pom- 
mel of  it  there  are  wondrous  things: 
a  portion  of  Our  Lady's  smock,  a  tooth 
of  St.  Peter,  a  phial  of  St.  Basil's  blood, 
and  some  of  the  hairs  of  the  head  of 
St.  Denis." 

Roland  said,  "Where  is  that 
sword?" 

"It  is  at  Laon,  my  city,"  said  the 
King;  and  Roland,  "Then  I  come  with 
you  to  get  it."       53 


The  Birth        "That  shall  be  so,"  said  King  Char- 
of  Roland    lemagne,  and  neither  Gille  nor  Sir 
Milo  had  any  words  to  gainsay  his 
words. 

Then  Roland  kissed  his  mother, 
father  and  brother,  and  was  set  before 
King  Charlemagne  on  his  white  horse, 
and  held  in  his  hand  the  miraculous 
spear  of  pride.  And  so  he  left  Broce- 
liande,  and  abode  with  the  great  King 
until  the  years  of  his  pupilage  were 
ended. 


54 


THIS  BOOK  ENTITLED  "THE  BIRTH  OF  ROLAND" 
IS  ONE  OF  AN  EDITION  OF  400  COPIES  PRINTED 
UPON  PAPER  AND  10  COPIES  PRINTED  UPON 
JAPAN  VELLUM  BY  THE  RALPH  FLETCHER 
SEYMOUR  COMPANY,  MCMXI. 


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